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The governance of Britain
This report, from the Public Administration Select Committee looks at the Governance of Britain Green Paper, as published on 3rd July 2007 (Cm.7170, ISBN 9780101717021). The stated aim of the document, by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was "a new constitutional settlement that entrusts more power to Parliament and the British people", with two objectives as the bedrock to this approach: (i) to hold power more accountable; (ii) to uphold and enhance the rights and responsibilities of the citizen. The Committee commends the statement and the wide-ranging programme as set out in the Green Paper, and the call for wide consultation and cross-party input. The Committee sees the goals of a new constitutional settlement as ambitious and laudable, but which will require considerable care in establishing a rebalance, in the Committee's view, of the relationship between Government, Parliament and the public.
Taming the Prerogative
The prerogative powers of ministers include some of the most important functions of government, such as decisions on armed conflict and the conclusion of international treaties. This report describes how such powers have come to be delegated. It also concludes that they should be more closely regulated. It proposes that the government should prepare a list of all prerogative powers, which would be considered by a parliamentary committee. Appropriate legislation, with any required statutory safeguards, would then be put into place. A draft Bill is appended to the report.
Parliament and public appointments
This Report welcomes and responds to the Government's proposal to involve select committees in public appointments by inviting committees to hold non-binding pre-appointment hearings with nominees for key positions. The Report clarifies the purpose of these hearings: to expose nominees to parliamentary and public scrutiny before the final ministerial decision on the appointment, to increase the likelihood that those appointed will be effective in their accountability to Parliament and the public. The Report also establishes criteria to determine which posts should be subject to these hearings, and identifies major auditors, ombudsmen, regulators and inspectors, as well as those responsible f...
HC 110 - Who's Accountable? Relationships Between Government And Arm's-Length Bodies
The controversy around the Government's handling of flooding last winter showed that arm's-length Government is confused and opaque. Organisational forms and names are inconsistent. Most public bodies answer to Ministers but some are directly accountable to Parliament. There is no agreement on how many types of body exist. There are overlaps and blurring between categories. Accountability arrangements and reforms so far have been ad hoc. The Government has reviewed non-departmental public bodies, but it should review all forms of arm's-length Government, including executive agencies and non-ministerial departments. The Government should establish a clear taxonomy of public bodies: constituti...
Politics and administration
This report examines the operational and constitutional relationship between government ministers and civil servants, including the issues of ministerial and civil service accountability, the role of ministers in making appointments and the position of special advisers, and whether it is time to give the civil service a proper constitutional footing. It considers what is meant by politicisation, whether politicisation is an entirely negative phenomenon, and, if it is not, what kinds of politicisation would be appropriate in the UK. The Committee notes that the UK civil service in held in high regard, both at home and abroad, and that it is essential that the governing relationship is kept in...
Work of the Committee in 2007
Work of the Committee In 2007 : Fourth report of session 2007-08, report, together with formal Minutes
Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions
This is the seventh report on Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions and the last that covers the workings of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, as in January 2005 this Code was superseded by the Freedom of Information Act. Amongst its conclusions are a concerned that departments have failed to honour fully their undertaking to provide specific Code exemption when they failed to give answers on public interest grounds. The Committee will monitor the effect of the Freedom of Information Act but believes that Cabinet Office guidance is inconsistent with earlier practice and should be reconsidered. The Committee also recommend that there should be an annual report of departmental performance on named-day questions and they strongly deplore and attempt to use the new arrangements of dealing with Questions before Prorogation as a means of avoiding answering a Question.
